The present invention concerns the field of data selection methods able to be implemented in electronic devices, in particular in electronic timepieces.
In a conventional electronic timepiece, one of the most commonly used devices for selecting data comprises the rotation of a crown. There exist in the prior art a good number of data selection devices, intended to be used in timepieces comprising a crown.
With reference to FIG. 1A of the present description, European Patent Document No. EP-A-0 064 023 discloses a timepiece of the aforementioned type made in the form of a wristwatch 1 including a minute hand 2, an hour hand 3, a stepping motor (not shown) for driving said hands, and a winding button or crown 4 fixed to the end of a winding-stem. The crown can take two different axial positions, a rest position i.e. a reference position, and a working position i.e. a pulled out position with respect to the reference position. Swiss Patent No. 643 427 discloses in more detail such a winding-stem and crown arrangement (hereinafter called a stem-crown) which is used as a switching device. Moreover, wristwatch 1 includes a memory (not shown) for storing data, and a liquid crystal display cell 5 for displaying one item of such data.
When a user of wristwatch 1 pulls stem-crop 4 into its working position, and drives it in rotation, data appear on display 5, the speed and the scrolling direction of such data depending respectively upon the speed and direction of rotation of the crown. The user can thus select data from all the data stored in wristwatch 1, in particular for correcting the displayed time.
Other types of timepieces whose arrangement allows data selection exist in the prior art.
With reference to FIG. 1B of the present description, European Patent Document No. EP 0 031 077 discloses a data input device for a timepiece 10. This timepiece includes a case 11 in which are arranged an electronic module whose display 12 can be seen, several push-buttons 13 to 17 and a sensor 20 formed of four identical juxtaposed electrodes 21. Display 12 permanently displays the hour indication 24 and the minute indication 25.
In order to correct hour indication 24 (or minute indication 25), the user moves his finger on sensor 20 at a speed which must be lower (or respectively higher) than a threshold speed.
Generally, the Applicant of the present invention has observed that the conventional data selection methods relating to timepieces such as those described hereinbefore, provide a data scrolling speed which is connected to the instantaneous value of the speed provided by the user, this latter being for example the rotational speed of stem-crown 4 for wristwatch 1 of FIG. 1A, or the speed of movement of the user's finger on sensor 20 for timepiece 10 of FIG. 1B.
A drawback of such methods lies in the fact that the user must provide a high speed to achieve a rapid change in the data displayed, which makes data selection difficult.
Another drawback of these methods lies in the fact that it is more comfortable to remove the wristwatch from the wrist before performing a rapid change of data, typically to change time zone, which is contrary to the usual concerns of ease of use.